


White Roses

by SophiaMaria



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Action/Adventure, Friendship, Post-Hogwarts, Romance, The Quidditch Pitch: Leaving Feast
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-04-15
Updated: 2007-04-15
Packaged: 2018-10-27 09:15:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10806183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SophiaMaria/pseuds/SophiaMaria
Summary: Remus and Marie Therese watch Ron and Hermione marry and wonder if it’s time to move on.  Set in my “Knight of the Rose” universebeforethe epilogue of Knight of the Rose.  Can be read separately, but you may want to read Knight of the Rose first to understand the context and my original character.





	White Roses

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Annie, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Quidditch Pitch](http://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Quidditch_Pitch), which went offline in 2015 when the hosting expired, at a time I was not able to renew it. I contacted Open Doors, hoping to preserve the archive using an old backup, and began importing these works as an Open Doors-approved project in April 2017. Open Doors e-mailed all authors about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact us using the e-mail address on [The Quidditch Pitch collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/thequidditchpitch/profile).

  
Author's notes: Betaed by mench.  Ever wonder how Marie Therese and Remus ended up together in the epilogue to Knight of the Rose?  This follow-up story can be read separately but you may want to read KoTR to understand the full context and my OFC.  


* * *

“You may kiss the bride,” instructed the wedding official, and the newly married couple pulled each other into a deep kiss. The crowd cheered as Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger Weasley kissed passionately in front of the assembled friends and family.   
  
“Oi! Get a room!” yelled Fred Weasley after a good twenty seconds had passed, causing the newlyweds to reluctantly break apart and turn to face the crowd, bright smiles on their faces and a bit of color in their cheeks. Hermione took Ron’s arm and walked up the aisle between the seats arranged in the back yard of Ron’s family home.  
  
As the assembled guests watched the happy couple walk past, followed by the best man and maid of honor, Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley, there were cheers and a few tears from the guests.   
  
“Well, that was a beautiful wedding,” said Remus Lupin to the woman standing next to him.   
  
“Yes, it was,” replied Marie Therese von Werdenberg, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. “It was the first wedding since the war ended. I’m so glad to see them all getting on with their lives.”  
  
“I am too,” said Remus as the guests began following the wedding party up the aisle.   
  
He turned to Marie Therese. “So, I see that Stephan couldn’t make it.”  
  
“Yes, he’s in Washington. Some kind of diplomatic issue with the Egyptian embassy in the U.S.,” she said, folding her handkerchief and tucking it into the pocket of her dress robes. Marie Therese’s husband was the British wizarding ambassador to Egypt and lived in Cairo for most of the year, while she lived in their home near London. “Besides, he’s never met any of the Weasleys, so it wouldn’t have meant as much for him to be here.”   
  
“Well, Therese, since neither of us have dates, would you like to join me for the reception?”  
  
“Why yes, sir. A lady shouldn’t be at a social function unescorted. We wouldn’t want people to think that I’m a woman of questionable virtue!” she said with an ironic chuckle as Remus held out his arm and guided her up the aisle.  
  
They stood to the side and watched as Fred, George, Bill and Charlie Weasley used their wands to rearrange the furniture and create a dance floor lined by tables and chairs set for dinner.  
  
Once they were finished, the guests found their seats as the wedding party moved to a table at the head of the dance floor.   
  
“It looks like we’re seated together for dinner,” said Remus, looking at the table settings. “Minerva, Hagrid, and Kingsley too. They must have seated much of the Order together.” Remus guided her to he table and took a seat next to her, as the rest of their Order friends joined them.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
“So you mean to tell me that I took fifty house points each from Harry, Hermione and Neville for rescuing a _baby dragon_?” asked Minerva McGonagall incredulously, as she finished the last bite of her dinner.  
  
“Yes, you did, _Professor_. Harry told me how mortified he’d been, and how they were shunned by the rest of their house for several weeks afterward,” replied Remus, referring to the events of Harry’s first year when they asked Charlie’s friends to take Norbert, Hagrid’s baby dragon, to Romania and were caught sneaking out of the Astronomy Tower after hours. “But they couldn’t tell you the truth because it would have gotten Hagrid in trouble.”  
  
They heard a loud sniff from the other side of the table. “Poor Norbert. I hope ‘e’s happy in Romania,” said the half-giant, seated on a chair that had been enlarged to accommodate his large frame.  
  
“Charlie says he is, Hagrid,” said Remus reassuringly. “And didn’t I hear Charlie telling you that Norbert had recently taken a mate? He should be having his own baby dragons sometime soon.”  
  
“Harry seemed to have a penchant for trouble and noble causes from early on,” said McGonagall, quickly changing the subject before Hagrid flooded the table with his tears at the thought of Norbert becoming a daddy.   
  
“Rather like his father, I think,” said Remus, smiling at how much Harry reminded him of his late friend.  
  
“I wonder how many other house points I took from him without hearing the full story,” Minerva said with a laugh. “Like that flying car, for instance!”  
  
The Order members who were gathered around the table shared stories and enjoyed their dinner, watching the happy couple at the head table kiss between bites of food and chat with Harry and Ginny, who were seated with them.   
  
After dinner was finished, the music started and Ron and Hermione took to the dance floor for the first dance of the evening. Ron looked nervous as they began, but surprised everyone with how well he could dance, including Hermione who looked pleased and happy as he spun her around the dance floor.  
  
“Ron’s doing pretty well out there! I thought he didn’t know how to dance,” said Remus.  
  
“No, he didn’t,” said Marie Therese. “Molly told me about a Hogwarts Yule Ball that was quite a disaster, so I offered to teach him to dance, as a surprise for Hermione. He’s doing quite well, don’t you think?”  
  
They watched him guide Hermione around the dance floor, beaming at his new wife, who looked more than a bit surprised at his efforts.  
  
At the start of the next song, they were joined by Harry and Ginny, Arthur and Molly, and Hermione’s parents.   
  
“They look so happy,” said Marie Therese, a bit wistfully.   
  
“Who?” asked Remus.  
  
“All of them,” she replied. “I’m so glad that things are working out for them. Imagine, it’s only been a year since the final battle, and already Ron and Harry are about to finish Auror training, Hermione is a rising star in the Department of Mysteries, and Ginny finished Hogwarts and is starting Healer training. And now Ron and Hermione are married. They’re finally starting their adult lives.”   
  
They watched the couples on the dance floor, joined now by other members of the Weasley family, including Bill and Fleur and Fred and his girlfriend Angelina.  
  
“May I have this dance, Therese?” a voice asked over Marie Therese’s shoulder. Startled, she looked up to see George Weasley with his hand out toward her.   
  
She was taken by surprise but smiled and said, “I’d love to, George. How kind of you to ask.” She stood and took his hand as he led her to the dance floor with the rest of the Weasleys.  
  
Remus watched as George spun Marie Therese around the floor. She looked quite happy dancing and flirting with the Weasley twin. Not more than a minute into the dance, he saw Fred cut in and twirl her away. He watched George dancing with an amused Angelina for no more than a moment before the twins switched places again.  
  
Remus couldn’t take his eyes off Marie Therese as she danced. He noticed how beautiful she looked as she flirted with the Weasley brothers, and he wondered if perhaps his fondness for his old friend was turning into an attraction.  
  
Marie Therese was even more beautiful at thirty-six than she was as a teenager at Hogwarts, where she was three years behind him in school. She was a Slytherin, but she hung out with Ravenclaws to separate herself from her housemates who had taken the Dark Mark or were openly supporting Voldemort. She was friendly with the four Marauders but kept her distance from them in order to maintain a façade of neutrality.  
  
Remus was attracted to her back then, but he was too preoccupied with his Lycanthropy to take any steps to date anyone. He’d actually dated only a few women throughout his life. Nymphadora Tonks was the first woman he’d fully let into his heart, but she had died during the final battle against Voldemort the previous year when she’d taken a killing curse to protect Harry. Her death had affected them all, but it was especially hard on Remus, who’d proposed to her only a few months earlier. For a long time he believed that she was his last chance at love.  
  
He watched as Marie Therese danced with Bill and then Charlie as he cut in. It appeared that the Weasley boys had conspired to keep her dancing through the night. He knew the Weasleys were exceptionally fond of Marie Therese. She had done much for them when Ron was recovering from the injuries he’d received during the final battle. She had arranged for a special suite of rooms at St. Mungo’s so the family could keep vigil by his bedside in comfort, and Remus suspected that she had anonymously paid some of the costs of his hospitalization as well. Then, six months later, Marie Therese had found the countercurse that released Ginny from an ancient spell that had betrothed her to a former Death Eater supporter twice her age. Without Marie Therese’s help, Ginny would have had to marry the man by her eighteenth birthday or the spell would have killed her.  
  
But the most noble and selfless thing Marie Therese had done this past year was known of by only a handful of people. She had let her young lover go so that he could be with his true love.   
  
Remus was one of only a few people who knew that Marie Therese had had an affair with Harry the previous summer and fall. She had helped Harry recover from the final battle with Voldemort and move on with his life. They had fallen in love and spent six months in a secret relationship.  
  
What nobody but Hermione had known, however, was that Harry and Ginny had deep feelings for each other which were hidden by a complex spell that Hermione had devised in the summer after their sixth year to keep Voldemort from discovering their feelings for each other. Hermione cast the spell to alter the memories of Harry, Ginny, and their close friends and family so they would forget that relationship and see only a sibling-like friendship. This worked for a year and a half, through the defeat of Voldemort, until the events surrounding the marriage spell forced Hermione to restore their memories.   
  
Marie Therese learned of the memory spell and realized that Harry was meant to be with Ginny. Being seventeen years older, married, and unable to bear children, she knew that she couldn’t give him marriage or a family – both of which he deserved more than anyone. She couldn’t leave her husband, despite the fact that their marriage was only a marriage of convenience, and she knew she couldn’t keep Harry from being with his soul mate.   
  
So Marie Therese broke off the relationship with Harry and encouraged him to follow his heart. She had known that she would have to give Harry up one day, but she hadn’t been prepared for it to come so soon, or the pain it would cause. She had thought their relationship would be just a fling, something sweet and light to help Harry recover and to have a little fun, but she had been surprised at the depth of feelings she had developed for the young man. In the weeks following the breakup, Remus had spent many hours sitting with her, listening to her talk, and helping her get over her feelings for him. His time must have been well spent, he thought, because now, five months later, she appeared to be back to her normal, flirtatious self.   
  
As he watched her on the dance floor, now dancing with Arthur Weasley, he thought about how she had also helped him deal with the loss of his beloved fiancé, Tonks, who was the first woman he’d loved and the only one that he thought would ever love him. It had been very difficult for him to go back to being alone, especially once he knew the type of love he _could_ have.   
  
But now that a year had passed, he wondered if it was time to move on. He watched Marie Therese’s slender form move gracefully across on the dance floor, her face shining and happy, as he pondered the question. One year was the typical mourning period, right? Was he really ready to move on? Would she be interested in him romantically?  
  
***   
  
Marie Therese came back to the table, flushed and glowing from dancing. She took a sip of her wine and grinned at Remus.  
  
“You look like you were having fun out there, Therese,” he remarked. “Are you going to make a conquest out of a Weasley next?” he asked with a wink.  
  
“Remus!” she said, swatting him on the arm as she scolded him. “Whatever do you mean?” she asked, innocently.  
  
“I mean, are you staking your claim on one of the unattached Weasleys? George seems to fancy you,” he teased.  
  
“Heavens, no! We’re all just good friends. And Fred and George are business partners, that’s all.” She had invested in their company during the war and continued to consult with them and invest in their new products.   
  
“Though I’m not sure what any of them would want with an old lady like me,” she laughed. “Especially with all of these attractive young women around here,” she said, gesturing to a group of young women who appeared to be Ron and Hermione’s age.  
  
“Oh come now, Therese. You know any of them would love to be with someone like you.”  
  
“Oh you’re sweet, Remus,” she said, smiling at him. “But no, they’re all just friends. Though Charlie is quite attractive,” she said, conspiratorially into his ear.  
  
Remus frowned down at his glass of wine, surprised and annoyed to feel a slight pang of jealousy. Did that mean that he had recovered enough to have those kinds of feelings for another woman? He was exceedingly fond of Marie Therese and had been fighting his growing attraction to her for a while now. And in their evenings together he occasionally noticed her looking at him in the same way, though he had a hard time reading her.   
  
Marie Therese was indeed married, but her marriage to Stephan was only a front. They had married at the request of her father when she was nineteen, as a way to merge pureblood families. Stephan had helped her through some difficult times during the first war when she was a teenager and they married to make her father happy before he died. She and Stephan cared for each other and shared their fortunes and homes, but they were not married in the full sense of the word. They lived much of the year apart, since he lived in Cairo most of the year as the British wizarding ambassador to Egypt, while she lived in London and served on the boards of various charities. To keep herself occupied she took lovers and didn’t have any qualms about it. They had an apparent agreement that seemed to work well for both of them. She didn’t discuss her marriage with Remus and he knew not to ask about it.  
  
As Remus thought about her situation, he realized that Marie Therese actually lived the way that many unmarried wizards did – moving from relationship to relationship, lover to lover, apparently able to compartmentalize each one and have strong feelings for each one. She usually ended her relationships amicably and maintained a strong network of ex-lovers and friends that provided social support and the political connections who helped her navigate the international wizarding world so effectively. Including, Remus noted, connections that helped the Order a great deal during and after the war. She was discrete and quiet about her affairs and managed not to raise too many eyebrows.   
  
Remus looked at Marie Therese in her elegant yet sexy periwinkle blue dress robes which matched her bright blue eyes. Her dark hair was in a loose updo with tendrils framing her face. He felt his stomach give a little flutter.  
  
 _Please forgive me, Tonks, I think I need to take a stab at this again. But should I?_  
  
“You look beautiful tonight, Therese,” he said quietly into her ear. “It’s no wonder they all want to dance with you.”  
  
She blushed and looked at him. “Thank you, Remus. You look quite nice too in your new dress robes,” she said, fingering his sleeve. The robes had been a Christmas gift from Harry, who’d been nagging him to improve his wardrobe with the money Sirius had left him.  
  
He looked at her. “Would you do me the honor of dancing with me?”  
  
“Of course, Remus,” she said as she took his arm, but as they began to rise from their seats they were interrupted by a burst of sparks and a bang from one of Fred and George’s fireworks. They looked up to see Ron and Hermione standing at the head table.   
  
Ron asked for everyone’s attention. “Hermione and I would like to thank everyone for coming today,” he said in a magically amplified voice. “It means so much that you are here for this occasion. You are all very important to us and we are glad to share our day with you.”   
  
The crowd clapped and cheered, but he waved his hand for them to quiet down.  
  
Hermione continued. “In light of this special occasion, we would like to ask Ron’s best man, and our best friend,” she said, smiling at Harry, “to come up here, as he has an announcement to make.”   
  
The crowd looked at Harry, who was gaping at his friends in apparent confusion. Hermione walked over to him and bent over to whisper in his ear. Harry looked surprised and shook his head vehemently. Hermione continued whispering to him and he eventually nodded and stood.   
  
He took Ginny’s hand and pulled her to her feet. “Yes, Hermione’s right, I do have something to share with everyone. I didn’t want to steal Ron and Hermione’s thunder today, but they insisted, so here goes.” He took a deep breath and said in a rush, “I’ve asked Ginny to marry me, and against all better judgment, she said yes.”   
  
The crowd leapt to their feet and cheered. Fred and George set off more fireworks and the whole Weasley family rushed forward to envelop the newly-engaged couple in hugs and kisses.   
  
As Harry made his announcement, Remus felt Marie Therese’s hand tighten reflexively on his arm.  
  
He turned to her and saw a small smile on her face. She pulled her hand away to join in the applause as they stood and watched Harry being tackled by a sobbing Molly Weasley.  
  
Remus saw Hermione’s eyes flicker toward him and she cocked her head to one side, eyebrows raised, and gave her a nod and a smile, reassuring her that Marie Therese was taking the news just fine.   
  
Remus felt Marie Therese place her hand on his and give it a squeeze. “I’m so happy for them,” she said, sniffing quietly. “I was wondering when they would decide to make it official.”   
  
“I’m so glad you’re taking it well, Therese,” he said, squeezing her hand in return and looking into her face.  
  
“Why shouldn’t I?” she said with false brightness. “I care for them both and want to see them happy.”  
  
“Of course you do,” he said, patting her hand lightly.   
  
While the uproar over Harry’s announcement began to die down, the music resumed and the rest of the guests returned to the dance floor.  
  
“Now, how about that dance, Therese?” Remus asked.  
  
She smiled and held out her hand, and he led her to the dance floor.  
  
He took her hand in his and placed the other on her waist, feeling the soft fabric of her dress, while she rested her hand on his shoulder and leaned in against him lightly. He heard her sniff and pulled back to look at her. “Are you sure you’re okay, Therese?” he asked, looking into her eyes.  
  
“Oh yes, I’m fine, Remus. I knew this day would come. I’ve moved on. It’s now in the category of ‘a fond memory’,” she said, and sniffed again.   
  
She leaned her head on his shoulder and he allowed himself the small indulgence of smelling her hair, which smelled slightly floral and lovely.   
  
He closed his eyes and was enjoying the feel and scent of her when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Harry smiling sheepishly at him.   
  
“May I cut in?”  
  
Remus looked at Marie Therese, unable to read her expression, but she nodded.  
  
Remus looked at Harry and said, “Please, Harry, go ahead. I haven’t had a chance to dance with the bride yet.” He nodded to Marie Therese and walked over to the head table, where Hermione was chatting with Ginny and Molly, presumably planning the next wedding.  
  
Harry took Marie Therese’s hand and they began to dance to the slow song.  
  
She looked at her young friend as they danced. “Congratulations on your engagement, Harry,” she said. “I’m sure you and Ginny will be very happy. You really deserve it after all you’ve been through.”  
  
“Thank you, Therese,” he said. “That means a lot.”   
  
She smiled back at him.  
  
“I’m so glad you came, Therese,” he continued. “The Weasleys are all glad you’re here too. You’ve done so much for them. You’re like their fairy godmother.”  
  
She laughed. “All I need is a pumpkin to turn into a carriage for the bride and groom to ride off in.”  
  
“Ah, but you _did_ arrange their carriage,” he said, grinning back at her. “The Portkey for their honeymoon.”   
  
Marie Therese had helped with the arrangements for the international Portkey to the south of France that Ron and Hermione would be taking later that evening to start their honeymoon. She thought for a moment about the fairy godmother comment and how she could follow through on it later that evening.  
  
“Really, Therese, it’s good to see you,” he said, looking into her face. “We haven’t had a chance to talk in a while. You’ve been so busy at St. Mungo’s and helping Hermione and Molly with the wedding. I can’t believe Molly actually roped you into teaching Ron to dance!”   
  
“Oh, it was a lot of fun – but a lot of work! That boy has two left feet!”  
  
Harry laughed. They looked over at Ron dancing with Ginny and saw that he was holding his own.   
  
“It’s good to see you too, Harry. You look wonderful. Really happy.”  
  
“I am,” he said. “And you look beautiful tonight, Therese. But then you always do.”   
  
She blushed. “And you’re still so sweet.”   
  
He smiled at her. “Are you and Remus having fun?”   
  
“Oh yes, we are. After the ceremony he agreed to fill in as my date since Stephan couldn’t make it.”  
  
Harry chuckled. “You know, Therese, Fred and George have a bet with Charlie that Stephan doesn’t really exist and that you made him up so you won’t have to settle down and can play the field indefinitely….” He stopped short and clamped his mouth shut, blushing. “Oh I’m sorry, that wasn’t very tactful,” Harry said.   
  
“It’s okay, Harry,” she said reassuringly. “It doesn’t bother me. It’s kind of true, actually. Even if I wasn’t married, I still might not want to settle down. I’m too independent. I like being able to go to things like ministry functions and weddings alone. I can come and go as I please and spend time with my friends. I like my life. And I don’t mind ‘playing the field,’ as you put it. It’s just hard to say goodbye sometimes,” she said softly, looking into his green eyes. “I tend to fall in love too easily.”  
  
“I know,” he said, holding her gaze.   
  
She looked at him for a moment and then, after mentally brushing the memories away, said brightly, “But then I bounce back and come away with good friends.”   
  
“Yes. Good friends,” he said, smiling at her.  
  
“And don’t forget, I get to be Auntie Therese one day,” she teased.  
  
“Ah, that’s not going to happen anytime soon,” he said, blushing. “But hopefully in a few years or so, after our careers get settled.”  
  
“So, when do you want to have the wedding?” she asked.  
  
“Probably in the fall. We both love that time of year. It reminds us of being at Hogwarts,” he said.  
  
“Well, let me know if there’s anything I can do to help. I had a lot of fun helping with this one,” she said.  
  
“Thanks, I’m sure Molly will appreciate the assistance.”  
  
They danced in silence for a minute, and then Harry spoke softly. “You know, Therese, I’ll always remember our time together. You really helped me through a rough time and I’ll never forget it. You’ll always mean a lot to me.”  
  
“Me too, Schatz. But are you sure Ginny’s fine with it? It must be hard to have me around.”  
  
“She’s fine, Therese, really,” said Harry. “It was a bit odd, seeing that she couldn’t hate you for being the ‘other woman’ given what you did for her, and for Ron. She thinks the world of you, you know? And she knows that I still care about you. But she also knows how I feel about her, and that’s what matters. I love you both, but in very different ways. Do you know what I mean?” he asked.  
  
“Yes, I think I do.” She knew that what she had shared with Harry was very different from what he had with Ginny. What she’d had with him was born of emotions heightened in the aftermath of the war and from the comfort that she was able to provide him. She was his first lover and had taught him how to love and how to accept love. She helped him recover from the war and helped him grow up. But because of their age difference and circumstances, they both knew that it wasn’t destined to last forever.  
  
But what he had with Ginny was, despite their young age, a more mature love, born of long-held feelings, friendship, and trials by fire. They had a bond that was meant to last and build a future on. She knew that Ginny could give him what he needed, and was happy to see them together.  
  
Marie Therese and Harry danced, separately contemplating their past relationship. It had been five months since they’d broken up and each one finally felt that they had moved on. And as the song ended, it felt to both like a final goodbye.   
  
They parted, and he took her hand and kissed it softly. “Thanks for the dance, Therese.”  
  
“My pleasure, Harry. Now go find Ginny. I’m sure she wants to dance with her fiancé,” she said.  
  
After one last look at Marie Therese, Harry turned and walked away. As she watched him walk back to the head table where Ginny was waiting for him, she took out her handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes. She sighed and turned to head back to the table but gasped as she found Remus standing behind her.   
  
“Sorry, Therese, I didn’t mean to startle you,” he said, placing a hand on her arm. “How are you doing?”  
  
“I’m fine,” she said, folding her handkerchief and putting it back in her pocket, smiling up at him.  
  
“Would you like something to drink?” he asked.  
  
“Yes. I think a drink is just what I need. A glass of champagne would be lovely.”  
  
He turned and made his way to the bar as she walked back to their table and sat to watch the other guests dancing.  
  
Remus returned to find her sitting at the table, watching Charlie dancing with Hermione, who was laughing as he spun her in circles. Remus thought he saw a familiar glint in Marie Therese’s eye as she watched the young Weasley. He sighed and sat down next to her.   
  
“Here you go, Therese,” he said, handing her a tall flute of champagne. “Are you enjoying yourself?”  
  
“Yes, it’s fun to see everyone having a good time. Such a change from a year ago. They all look so happy now,” she said, turning her full attention on him. “How about you, Remus, are you happy?”  
  
“I’m getting there.” He sighed and sat back I his chair with his glass of champagne. “It’s hard sometimes. It was a year last week, you know.”  
  
“Yes I know. That’s why I asked,” she said, looking at him as she took a sip of her champagne. “I wanted to check on you the night of the anniversary celebrations, but it was a full moon. Rotten timing, huh?”  
  
“No, actually it was good timing,” he assured her. “The Wolfsbane, combined with a dreamless sleep potion, knocked me out for the night and I didn’t have to live through any reminders of what happened in the battle. I’m not really sorry that I had to miss the Ministry festivities.”  
  
“Yes, they were a bit depressing. Poor Harry,” she said, watching their young friend dance with his fiancé. “They trotted him out again and again for the press and the crowds. But I’m so proud of him for how well he handled it. I think he’s finally accepting his role. His speech was lovely. He made sure to acknowledge the contributions of everyone in the final battle, and he had very nice things to say about Tonks. He almost lost it when he spoke of her, but he held up pretty well.”  
  
Remus felt tears pricking his eyes at the thought of Harry’s words about Tonks, but blinked them back. “I helped him with his speech and am sorry that I wasn’t there for him. I imagine he’ll have to do that every year.”  
  
“Well, it’ll die down eventually. But let me know if you ever need me to help you though it,” she said, placing a hand on his arm. “Next year, if it’s not a full moon, we can get a nice bottle of wine, toast our friends, and find our own oblivion!”  
  
“That sounds lovely,” he said, clinking his glass against hers and taking a deep sip.  
  
“So where are you spending your transformations these days?” she asked.  
  
“At Grimmauld Place. Harry helps me out. He stays with me and makes sure I’m okay in the morning.”  
  
“You know, if Harry isn’t available or if you ever need another place to transform, you can always use my house. I’ll be happy to look after you,” she said, smiling at Remus.  
  
“That’s very kind of you, Therese,” he said as he smiled back. “I may take you up on the offer once Harry gets wrapped up in wedding plans. It may get harder once he’s a newlywed.”  
  
“Then it’s settled,” she said with a nod. “Now, we never got to finish that dance. Shall we?” She stood, holding out her hand for him.  
  
“I thought you’d never ask,” he said, placing his glass on the table and taking her hand.   
  
She led him to the dance floor and he took her hand in his and circled her waist with his other. She enjoyed feeling his strong arm around her and leaned into him. She thought fondly about her time with Remus over the last few months. He was there the night she broke things off with Harry and she was grateful for his patient and calming influence.   
  
Though Marie Therese was willing to let Harry go, it was still painful because the breakup was so abrupt and she hadn’t had any time to prepare for it. Remus was sweet enough to sit and listen to her as she talked about her feelings for Harry. She felt badly about burdening him with her trivial concerns, given what he had been through that year, but he seemed to be willing to sit and listen and help her move on. She had grown to appreciate his friendship and always looked forward to their time together.   
  
She leaned her head on his shoulder and enjoyed his smell. He smelled like old books, wood smoke, and a deep masculine scent she couldn’t identify.   
  
She felt a familiar warmth spread through her as she felt his arm tighten around her waist and he pulled her closer. _Oh no, not again_ , she thought, _am I starting to feel this again? For Remus now?_  
  
She looked up at him and he looked down at her, something recognizable in his lovely, kind hazel eyes. _Oh, I think he’s feeling it too._  
  
He had once told her that his heightened senses from his Lycanthropy enabled him to sense the pheromones released by a woman’s arousal. So he knew that she was attracted to him and was responding to his touch.  
  
 _Would this be wise? Is he ready? Am I ready?_  
  
She shivered involuntarily as she felt him slowly graze his thumb over the small of her back and she felt the warmth spread through her again. She looked up at him and responded with a subtle stroke of her thumb into the soft hair on the nape of his neck, and noticed his eyes darkening in response to the subtle communication between them.  
  
She looked around them and saw that nobody was paying them much attention, but she decided that discretion was still important, so she averted her eyes from his. She had always tried to keep her affairs as quiet as possible and knew that she needed to be especially careful in this tight-knit group.   
  
She leaned back onto his shoulder, enjoying the feel of his hand on her back, his soft breath in her hair, and thought for a moment.   
  
Her decision made, she looked back up at Remus, who was again staring down at her with his darkened eyes.  
  
“Um, Remus?”  
  
“Yes, Therese?” he responded huskily.   
  
“Would you like to come over for dinner some night this week? I have a new recording of Mahler’s Eighth Symphony that I think you’d like.”  
  
She looked into his eyes and saw reflected in them the same thing that was on her mind. His thumb stroked her back again and she responded with another stroke of her thumb into the hair at the nape of his neck.   
  
“I’d love to,” he whispered into her ear.  
  
His breath gave her goosebumps and she shivered slightly.   
  
“Great,” she replied, looking up at him with a shy smile.   
  
She thought she felt him pull her a bit closer but they were interrupted by a burst of cheers as Ron and Hermione emerged from the Burrow with luggage for their honeymoon. They pulled apart but she held into his arm as they watched Hermione toss her bouquet into the crowd toward Ginny, who caught it with her quick Seeker’s hands.   
  
“That’s my cue. Time for the fairy godmother routine,” she said into Remus’s ear before pulling reluctantly away and walking over to her bag at their table. She pulled out her wand and a small stone, which she quickly transfigured into a small round pumpkin.   
  
She walked with the pumpkin in her hand over to Ron and Hermione, who were saying their goodbyes to their families and giving Harry and Ginny a final hug. When they were finished they turned to her.  
  
“Ready?” she asked.  
  
“You bet!” said Ron with a grin, as she handed him and Hermione the pumpkin.   
  
Marie Therese tapped it three times with her wand and smiled as the bride and groom disappeared in a shower of white rose petals, off to start their honeymoon and the rest of their lives together.   
  
_Fin_


End file.
